THE process of restoring the GP Access After Hours services cut late last year will begin once federal funding details are clarified, Hunter Primary Care says.
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The Federal Budget announcement to restore and provide funding to the GP Access After Hours program in the Hunter has been welcomed by Hunter Primary Care, which runs the service.
The organisation's chief operating officer, Keith Drinkwater, said the budget news was a "tremendous shot in the arm" for any after-hours service that had endured significant funding shortfalls over several years.
"With a health workforce stretched from the pandemic, the challenge now will be finding the GPs, nurses and admin staff to cover the additional hours, but we are confident we can do that in time", Mr Drinkwater said.
The federal government has committed to funding the after-hours service for a period of six years.
Hunter Primary Care said once the details of the budget announcements have been clarified, they would work with the primary health network and the local health district - plus its GP workforce - to restore the services that were cut in December 2021.
The Newcastle Herald has previously reported the concerns of GPs, nurses and hospital staff about the impact of the service cuts on already heaving hospital emergency departments (EDs).
The NSW and Victorian governments are now calling for expressions of interest in establishing urgent care services to relieve some of the demand on state EDs.
A total of 25 urgent care services will operate across NSW, including four existing services in Western Sydney.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the latest health data showed close to 375,000 people attending ED - almost half of those presenting for treatment - were for non-critical conditions.
"Our health staff will always triage the most urgent and life-threatening cases first, which means less urgent cases who could get their treatment at a GP, end up waiting," he said.
"The expanded urgent care services... aim to free up those critical resources in our EDs for patients with more serious needs."
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Anita Beaumont
Anita Beaumont is a health and general news reporter at the Newcastle Herald.
Anita Beaumont is a health and general news reporter at the Newcastle Herald.
